Qld Government urged to rethink Mount Isa dermatology services cut

There has been a call for the Queensland Government to reverse its decision to stop funding dermatology services in Mount Isa in the state's north-west.

As of next month, the Queensland Institute of Dermatology (QID) will no longer receive State Government funding to fly a dermatologist to the city four times a year.

The Department of Health says a review of the program found it was not delivering value for money, and it will now be up to the North West Hospital and Health Service to find an alternative.

However, QID says there was a long waiting list for Mount Isa patients.

The North-West Hospital and Health Service says it was only told of the funding withdrawal last week.

It says the board is trying to review possible alternatives to continue providing a dermatologist to residents.

Mount Isa MP Rob Katter says it is another example of a regional service being cut.

"It's a perfect flick-pass for the Government to be able to offload this stuff to health boards and say that it's their problem that they have to deal with," he said.

"But the reality is that these things are funded by government and we certainly pay our fair share of taxes and royalties in the Mount Isa region and we have every right to be demanding these sorts of services."

He says there is a real requirement for all sorts of health services out in the bush.

"If governments want us to all live in the city where we can have direct access to those services - keep going with these sorts of decisions," he said.

"I for one believe that we need to keep the inland populated and we want to preserve our cities.

"I strongly object to any reduction to services like these because it can only diminish our quality of life in remote areas."